Broken Pieces :Resurrected Again: DeiTobi
by Tobi the Hubcap Thief
Summary: Zetsu has died,and Tobi is depressed,changing in ways Deidara does not understand or like.So,Dei decides to take the matter into his own hands and cheer him up.


It is often when disaster strikes that people show who they truly are. May it be for better or for worse,people show their true colors when times are the hardest. Life has always been that way,is that way,and always _will_ be that way. And although tragedy can bring out the worst in people,it is often the other way around.

This was an easy--possibly the easiest--way to describe what happened between Deidara and Tobi,not long after Zetsu died.

FlashBack (Deidara's POV)

Zetsu had always been a valuable and,though most failed to admit it,_loved_ member of the Akatsuki's crazy family. It killed us inside to learn of his untimely death. To me,it was almost unfathomable. This man had never been a "fighter."He had been more or less a spy. It sort of failed to dawn on me that he was just as vulnerable as the rest of us...that he _wasn't_ immortal,though you never could really picture this man dead.  
It had been a cruel blow,dealt when we weren't really expecting anything...strike that,we _had_ been expecting trouble.  
In fact,that was partly the reason Zetsu was dead in the first place. Orochimaru and his followers had been giving the Akatsuki trouble lately,and Zetsu was among the party that had been sent out to scout the Akatsuki's territory. What was the problem with that?

He had been sent to patrol with _Kabuto_,Sasori's so-called subordinate. Kabuto had become more active at the time,because the Akatsuki had needed all the help they could get,and no one had truly known of his duplicity up until the night Zetsu had died. He had been double-dealing,with Orochimaru as his true superior,and on Orochimaru's request,had killed Zetsu,in an attempt to eliminate anyone who could be a threat to him. Because Zetsu could easily spy on him and give away valuable information of his whereabouts,he was considered a threat.

Bottom line,Zetsu was dead,and none of the pain or depression,nothing anyone said or did,could bring him back.

And that,as far as I could see,was tearing the Akatsuki apart,Tobi especially.  
To be honest,I'd been keeping an extra eye on him. He was taking it extremely hard,and no one could blame him...not even Hidan,who seemed prone to blaming everyone for everything. He rarely spoke to anyone,he often ignored those who spoke to him. This...didn't work well,especially when he promptly ignored an order from Kakuzu,and the miser had gone berserk,while Hidan pried them apart.

I felt for the masked ninja,I really did,and it killed me to see him so depressed. My concern only worsened over time. There were so many days when he simply disappeared,only to return more than five hours later,looking even worse than he had before he'd left. He was irritable lately,and often closed himself off from everyone else. Once,I could have sworn I saw his one visible eye flash red...blood red,the color of Sharingan.  
I wanted...I _needed_ to comfort him. Somehow,anyhow!  
Just a few words,to show him that I understood what he was going through.I did,after all,know _exactly_ how he felt. Sasori had left...he was gone,but after his death,we had still trusted Kabuto to remain loyal to his former superior.

After Sasori had died,I had gone to pieces.I had been a nervous wreck,losing my best friend,and the person I cared so deeply about.I was,I'll admit,_scared_,because Sasori was never supposed to die. He had promised me he'd live forever,and I had hoped he'd find way to do just that.  
And when _I_ had been depressed,I'd had no one...no one to help me through it,because the only one who had ever cared,despite his tendency to lie through his teeth about it,was Sasori.

But Tobi...had _me_,and I vowed to prove that to him,any way I possibly could.

End FlashBack...

1 week Later

Consoling Tobi had to be one of the hardest things I've ever done. At first,it was simply because I never could _find him._ It was as if he knew I was looking for him,and so he purposely evaded me. Whenever I did manage to find him,he was busy,or at least pretending to be.I'd wait for him to finish whatever it was he had been doing,but even then,he somehow escaped me.  
It was very irritating,and it was starting to get to me.I understood his pain,and his longing to be alone,because I had gone through that,as well.

But deep down,I had known that all I really needed was someone to talk to who understood. I knew that Tobi needed the same thing. I would make him see that.I had to...for some reason,I felt that my life could not continue until I made that clear.  
I kept asking myself why I cared so much,even though I knew the answer.  
It was getting harder and harder to deny the true reason behind my actions,and my need to console my friend.

And I knew why it was hard,as well. It was difficult because of Sasori,and because of how hard it was for me to let it go. My feelings for Sasori had never gone away,but...evolved...and resurrected into what I now felt for Tobi.  
The undeniable truth was that I loved Tobi,and it was because of this that it hurt me to see him in pain like this. In women,you might call it a mothering instinct.

As for me?I'll kill you if you say another word about it. (Inner Dei:Shut the hell up,un!!)

A few nights later,I finally seized my chance. For once since Zetsu had died,Tobi actually fell asleep. The only reason I knew was because I followed him that night.  
NO,I'm not a stalker!!!Much.I was desperate,okay?!  
He fell asleep within half an hour,but I knew it wasn't a very peaceful sleep.  
I snuck into the room at that point,and slunk over to the bed,sitting gently on the edge of the matress. Tobi was curled up tightly in a ball,shuddering and murmuring something incomprehensible,but sounding like a string of profanities and death threats.

''Now,Tobi,what would Zetsu have said if he'd heard you say that?''I murmured in amusement. Tobi stiffened beside me.''Sempai?''he asked,''Hm?''I replied,surprisingly calm for someone caught red-handed. Tobi shifted into a sitting position,''Did you need something?''he inquired flatly.I sighed. No point in delaying this even longer...  
''I need to talk to you,alright?"I replied,reaching over to the nightstand to turn the light on.  
"Look...I...know exactly how you feel."  
''.....Seriously?Or are you just trying to make me feel better?"  
I winced.

"No.I'm serious.I lost Sasori,and when that happened...it was...was...like my heart was ripped out.I wanted to cease existence...I wanted to join him. Know what I mean?"I asked.  
Tobi stared at me,and I couldn't read his expression,for obvious reasons.  
I reached out and snatched off the mask,glaring irritably all the while as Tobi yelped,a noise somewhere between a "meep" and some sort of growl.  
''Yes,"he growled,"I know _exactly_ what you mean!"  
I suppressed another sigh,"But...I never had anyone to help me after that.I still miss him,Tobi....but you...you can always come to me if you need someone to talk to."

Tobi gave me a skeptical look.I noticed the lines and discoloration under his eyes. He hadn't slept in days,that much was obvious.I cringed a little,because the flash of red I'd seen in his eyes before had returned for a moment,only to fade again.I never will understand Tobi...his facial features were flawless. Every detail,perfect. Why had he felt the need to hide behind his mask for so long?

He noticed me staring,and answered my unasked question."I've got the Sharingan,you know. Itachi would kill me if he knew."he explained blandly.I nodded.  
His eyes narrowed,"He was my best friend. How am I supposed to know you're not just trying to make me feel better?"he growled hoarsely.  
I smirked."Because,if that were the case,I would have done this--"I said,and hugged him tightly around his waist,just enough to make him spaz out and relive a shadow of his former self. I eventually chanced a glance into his face, amd I saw that he was blushing an interesting shade of pink.

He struggled out of my tight grasp with relative ease."I...um--ahck!Alright,sempai,I think it's--it worked,sempai!!"he whined,squirming uncomfortably."Good,un!"I said,smirking."But I'm still not letting go!" I lunged forward again,clinging to him.  
He growled something under his breath."Say that again,and I'll hit you."  
"S-sorry,sempai..."he muttered.


End file.
